Dan McNeil fired from The Score after controversial tweet

Action comes after he questions ESPN’s reporter’s attire in the mostasinine way possible

Once again, Dan McNeil is out of a job in Chicago radio because of an idiotic thing he said or did or both.

On Monday, the WSCR-AM/The Score personality sent a tweet questioning ESPN sideline reporter Maria Taylor’s outfit while she was working at the first Monday Night Football game of the season between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the New York Giants. During the game, McNeil wrote a tweet about Taylor sarcastically criticizing her wardrobe, deleted a half-hour later.

Here’s a screenshot of said tweet:

JFC. Always disappointed, never shocked. pic.twitter.com/fqupeotvf1

— Julie DiCaro wrote a book (@JulieDiCaro) September 15, 2020

The AVN reference refers to Adult Video News, who presents an annual pornography awards show.

Even though the tweet was deleted, screenshots of it were posted all over social media, like you see above. Awful Announcing then posted a story about it, then Taylor – a seven year veteran at the network who works on ESPN’s College GameDay crew and also anchors NBA coverage, fired back at McNeil:

Well Danny Dearest if you would like to continue making sexist comments about me…please bring your misogyny with you to the NBA Countdown double header I’ll be hosting tomorrow night. Hey ladies remember you can wear whatever you feel confident in! @670TheScore @DannyMac670 https://t.co/bN0H582isU

— Maria Taylor (@MariaTaylor) September 15, 2020

On Tuesday, Entercom Chicago officials decided to cut ties with McNeil.

In a memo sent to staffers at WSCR as reported by the Chicago Tribune, Entercom Chicago regional president Rachel Williamson stated in a brief memo, screenshotted from Radio Insight:

The firing did catch some off guard, given WSCR host Dan Bernstein made similar comments on social media in 2015 about an African-American female reporter on Comcast SportsNet. Bernstein was disciplined, but wasn’t fired.

The latest career flame-out for McNeil came four years after he was forced out from Hubbard’s WDRV-FM. He co-hosted a morning show with Pete McMurray on The Drive starting in February 2015 but had his role drastically reduced after an argument with senior management over the departure of a Hubbard executive. Struggling in the ratings, McNeil was cut from the show. Beforehand, McNeil was suspended twice at WMVP-AM and fired in January 2009. McNeil returned to the Score several months later but quit in 2014 after making unrealistic contract demands.

Since 2018, McNeil has been teamed up with Danny Parkins to host afternoons. Parkins, who addressed the matter with listeners Tuesday afternoon, will host solo in the interim.

This was McNeil’s third stint at WSCR, who helped launch the station in 1992.

The real question here is why is McNeil getting so many chances given his horrible employment record? Given the need for diversity in radio in Chicago – more minorities and women for instance, the continued reliance on shock jocks like it’s still 1994 is galling, and proves radio isn’t ready to move on, even in an era where there is more awareness of these issues.

The firing of McNeil is only a positive step forward, given he keeps getting second chances and of course, keeps screwing it up. Being employed by the same station three times in 28 years and being fired four times during that span should tell you McNeil perhaps needs to start looking for a new career and hopefully not one where he has to speak into a microphone.